Patterns of language learning-related behaviours: evidence for self-help in acquiring grammar

Four kinds of language learning-related behaviours (LLRBs) were examined in the home conversations of six English children studied for six months from age 2;0 to 2;6. The speech of the children was coded for the number of times they participated in language lessons, language practice, metalanguage and revisions of prior language. All the children were active and frequent producers of LLRBs, with revisions being observed most commonly. Further analysis revealed that the majority of the revisions that the children initiated involved grammatical changes, with the revised utterances tending to be more grammatical than their predecessors. An auditory monitor is proposed as a partial explanation for revision behaviour, and is evaluated relative to other possible accounts of the findings.